RIJF 2018

Stephane Wrembel is quite simply one of the finest guitar players in the world. The breadth and range of his playing and compositions are unmatched. To say that Wrembel— who learned his craft among the Gypsies at campsites in the French countryside— has already had a remarkable career would be an under-statement. This prolific, virtuoso guitarist from France has been releasing a steady stream of music since 2006 and has truly made his mark as one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music.

The New York Observer said, "Stephane Wrembel represents the living face of Gypsy jazz." Rolling Stone Magazine has called him “a revelation”.

Since last January, The Stephane Wrembel Band has been promoting two new recordings on Water Is Life Records, The Django Experiment I and II. Both albums primarily feature The Stephane Wrembel Band’s own interpretation of the songs of legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, as well as Wrembel’s original compositions, and those of other writers of the same vein of music. The Django Experiment I and II were released in conjunction with the Wrembel-produced Django A Gogo concert held at Carnegie Hall on March 3, 2017. The event received rave reviews and included guitar masters Al Di Meola, Larry Keel, Stochelo Rosenberg and other gifted musicians all celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt. The Stephane Wrembel Band will release The Django Experiment III on January 23, 2018.

Stephane Wrembel is widely known for “Bistro Fada”, the theme song from the 2011 Woody Allen Oscar winning film, Midnight In Paris. Subsequently, Wrembel was hand-selected by award winning composer/producer Hans Zimmer to perform at the 2012 Academy Awards® as part of his “All Star Band.” Then, Midnight in Paris won a Grammy Award for “Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media”.

He has toured around the world, and is very active on the musical scene in many countries including USA, Canada, France, Israel and India. Recently, Stephane has performed as a headliner at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York and at the Festival Django Reinhardt in France. Wrembel has also headlined at Lincoln Center, played major festivals, recorded with mandolin legend David Grisman, toured with master violinist Mark O’Connor and shared stages with everyone from Elvis Costello to Patti Smith to The Roots. The Gitane guitar company has even named a model after him. To say that Stephane Wrembel— who learned his craft among the Gypsies at campsites in the French countryside— has already had a remarkable career would be an under-statement. This virtuoso guitarist from France has truly just begun to make his mark as one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music.